Sack Lunches
by anastasiabeaverhousen14
Summary: A series of firsts. If you've got some thoughts, review away my friends.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N Taken from a prompt meant to be a one shot, turned into multichapter fic. Thanks for taking the time to read._

The lobby was quiet. The clocks situated every twenty feet or so along the walls read _9:27pm_. The whole building was quiet as an older woman roamed the halls in search of her children. Her children were cops; well, two of them at least. The eldest, her only daughter, was a detective and the middle, well he wanted to be just like his big sister. It wasn't a shock when their daughter told them she was going to the academy instead of university. It was all she could talk about. And it was even less of a shock when the next in line decided to follow his sister. The youngest, however, was a magnet for trouble. He had a record as long as his arm of misdemeanors and petty crimes.

The years were filled with constant worry for her three kids. She knew it would never be easy, and they'd never be safe and she'd have countless sleepless nights. But she loved them all the same. The two eldest loved their work. And her youngest, well he didn't exactly _love_ prison, but seemed to get along with the other guys well enough. So, as long as they were happy, or sort of happy, _she_ was happy.

Normally, civilians weren't allowed past a certain point in the police station without an escort. But, everyone knew the Rizzoli matriarch and knew to stay out of her way when it came to her kids.

* * *

Angela Rizzoli entered the quiet bullpen, a canvas tote on her arm.

Her daughter, Jane Rizzoli, the great Homicide detective, sat with her back to the door, across from her partner, Barry. In the desk next to them was senior detective and long time friend, Vince Korsak. They were all deep in thought, pushing papers around, looking for clues. The mother's eyes intentionally steered clear of the evidence board as she walked up behind her daughter, not noticing the petite honey blonde standing behind it, reviewing a file.

"Hey kids." She greeted, causing all the detectives to look up, "and Korsak." She chuckled

"Hey ma. What are you doing here?" Jane asked with a tired smile

"Hi Mrs Rizzoli." Barry said with a smile, his eyes darting to the bag she was carrying

"I brought you guys some food. I thought you'd be hungry." She unloaded three paper sacks, all with names scrawled on the top.

"Thanks ma."

Barry took his eagerly, "thanks mama Rizzoli."

The door opened suddenly and Frankie Rizzoli waltzed in with a kiss to his mother's cheek as his hand dug into the tote.

"Thanks ma." the younger Rizzoli smirked as he walked off with a paper bag with his name on it.

"Thank you Angela." Vince laughed.

Angela turned to her daughter, "Are you going to get to bed at a decent hour tonight? You've not been sleeping, and don't tell me otherwise! A mother knows."

Jane blushed and sheepishly opened the paper sack, "Not tonight ma." she said with a somber voice, "This is important."

Angela sighed, "you say that about every case."

Jane sighed, just like her mother and looked into older brown eyes with seriousness, "because, ma, they're _all_ important."

With a final squeeze to her daughter's shoulder, the older woman turned, and her eyes finally fell on to the petite blonde woman, clutching a file close to her chest as she surveyed the scene in front of her. In the split second before Angela spoke, she noticed that the woman didn't look at all like she belonged in this world of blood and gore. She was small, but not short. Petite, but not completely fragile looking. Her hair was done up too perfectly for this late at night. Her dress was something she'd seen in a fashion magazine somewhere. Her hazel eyes were wide, as if analyzing every move the older woman made.

"Hi, I'm Angela, Janie's mom." the woman said proudly, holding her hand out

The smaller woman hesitated just a second too long, but then held her hand out with a shy smile, "I'm Dr. Maura Isles."

Angela's eye widened with pleased surprise, "A doctah? Wow. And what do you do around here?"

Maura nodded, "I'm the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

Angela's smile never wavered, "That's quite a mouthful, isn't it?"

Maura's face fell just slightly.

"Medical Examiner…huh, you're the one that uh, cuts up the victims and figures out how they died, right?"

Maura's features picked back up, "Yes. I am."

"Wow." Angela looked a little taken aback. But her smile broadened, "Are you new around here? I know most of Janie's friends."

"Colleagues, Ma." Jane clarified, engrossed in the paperwork in front of her, "I'm not friends with all my colleagues." If she hadn't been staring down an incident report, she'd see that the doctor's face fell yet again.

Yet, used to a lifetime of torment and rejection, Maura steeled her resolve and plastered a fake smile on her face, "Though I am not new to Boston, for I spent a few years as a child here, I am new to this job. I moved here a month ago."

"Well," Angela started with a smile, "Welcome back."

* * *

Jane and Maura stood in the morgue together over a body lain across the table a few days later. It was a late night after a long week. A triple homicide had come in on Monday, and now, with almost zero evidence, the doctor was combing over the latest body for any unseen information. Jane stayed with her of course, preferring to be right there in case anything happened.

Maura finally stood straight and looked into the expectant eyes of the tall detective, "I'm sorry, Detective, I have nothing further to add to the report."

Jane's shoulders fell in defeat.

"We've analyzed and processed every bit of evidence found on all the bodies." the doctor continued

A knock to the morgue doors broke them from their trains of thought. Looking around to the doors, both women caught the somewhat shy gaze of Maura's senior criminalist, Susie Chang.

Maura waved the shorter woman in.

"Excuse me, Doctor Isles, Detective…" she paused, "There's someone in your office to see you."

Maura turned her wrist over to check her watch, "Who is here so late at night?"

Susie's eyes turned to Jane's with a sheepish look, "Uh, a _Mrs_. Rizzoli."

Confused, the two took off their gloves and Jane followed Maura into the doctor's adjoining office to find none other than Angela Rizzoli staring up at a mask on the wall.

"I've never been down here before." Angela spoke a little excitedly with a hint of apprehension, "is this your office Maura?"

"Yes." Maura didn't know what to say. Besides Jane, no one voluntarily visited her office.

"Well." She sighed, then looked as though she just remembered her purpose for visiting, "I brought you and Janie somethin to eat."

Jane curiously opened the bag and her eyes widened with joy, "A snack pack! Thanks ma."

Maura took the proffered bag with a polite smile.

"Well." Angela started, "You know what I'm gonna say."

Jane sighed, "Get some sleep, eat some food, you're too skinny, be careful, take care of yourself, I got it ma."

The older woman slugged her daughter's arm, but left with a smirk. Jane turned to the doctor, "Are you hungry now? Or do you want to wait awhile?"

Maura still looked a little shocked from the visit; the bag held aloft.

"Doctor Isles?"

Maura looked up, "Yes?"

Jane smirked, "You don't have to eat it, you know. Ma just likes to feed people."

Maura, ever the polite, refined Isles, "Of course I'll eat it. Right now as a matter of fact."

The brunette chuckled, "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course." Maura gestured towards the couch. Jane sat on the end of the couch and Maura sat in the chair. The detective tore into the bag, pulling out everything with a grin. Except the carrots; those received quite the grimace.

"Jane?" Came a timid voice

Jane looked up form her file and saw Maura had everything out of the bag and on her lap. An apple, a bag of Cheetos, a snack pack pudding, bottle of water and a sandwich. The last of which was in her hands, being inspected by critical eyes.

"Yah?"

"What is in this sandwich, the white substance?"

Jane chuckled, "peanut butter and fluff."

"Fluff? Light downy particles of cotton?"

"Marshmallow fluff." Jane laughed, "try it. They're addicting, trust me."

Maura took a hesitant, small bite and chewed. Her eyes widened comically and a smile grew across her lips, "oh goodness, this is delicious." She took another bite, this one quite a bit bigger.

Jane took a big bite of her own sandwich, munching with a smile as she watched Doctor eat her food.

"Does your mother do this every day?"

Jane shrugged, "most days. She doesn't have a lot to do now that we're all grown. So she pesters us whenever she can."

"That just means she loves you." Maura smiled

Jane shrugged, "yeah, I know."

The brunette watched the other woman look down at her hands with a sort of pained expression.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked with a mouth full of peanut butter and fluff.

Maura looked back up at her dinner companion, "Don't take for granted a parent's love, detective. Some people don't have the pleasure of basking in their parents affection." she said quietly, then looking back down to her sandwich, taking another, slightly larger bite.

The detective was a little confused by the statement, "And what do you mean by that?" Jane asked, not letting it go

Before either could sat another thing, their phones rang.

"Rizzoli." "This is Doctor Isles."

* * *

 _Disclaimer: This fic doesn't have a set story line. It's just a series of events that kinda play off of what we already know about the two. It's actually a series of "firsts" for the duo that I think would have happened before the show started, and a few after the show started._


	2. Chapter 2

a/n. Sorry its been awhile. work sucks and i have no time. anyways, on with it. also. i haven't read it in awhile, so beware of mistakes...

Review if you're feeling up to it :)

* * *

Jane stood in the lab, reading over the autopsy report the doctor had just given her. Her eyes slowly moved to the other woman, watching as she worked. Her heels clicked as she moved from a microscope to another piece of equipment. She wore a knee length dress, blue today, that had a square neckline. Matching heels adorned her feet, and was topped off with a gorgeous necklace. Over it all was a white lab coat. Jane fell into a state of introspection as she watched the doctor…

 _Ma only took interest in people in my life if she thought they were destined to be important. Like Katy Langly from fourth grade. Ma made sure to make friends with Katy's mom when we started playing little league together. Her and I were friends till we graduated high school and she went to Stanford across the country. When Korsak and I became partners, she had him over for dinner with his then-wife. After that night, we really bonded. Same thing with Frost. When he got promoted to homicide, ma invited him to a cookout. And after that night, he kinda blossomed in the unit. The guys started to invite him to stuff. Him and I became pretty good friends. And he started to become a lot more confident in his work. Plus, him and Frankie really hit it off as friends. It's like ma sees the future potential in people, and scoops them up into our little family._

 _Doctor Isles is an enigma. At least to me. Every medical examiner I worked with as a uni till before her, were goofy and super awkward and hard to work with. They dressed… like medical examiners. Sweater vests, bla blazers with elbow patches, wrinkled slacks from all the sitting in their labs over microscopes. Seeing them outside in the sunlight at a crime scene reminds me of something out of a thriller movie about mole people. But Doctor Isles. Damn. I have never seen her ruffled, rumpled, wrinkled or even a thread out of place on that woman. She wears dresses and shoes and outfits - singular outfits - that surely cost more than my entire year's salary. Even to the crime scenes does she wear them. She always has a change of footwear for the terrain and gets right up in the faces of the victims._

 _She's cold and calculated on her crime scenes and in the lab. Everything needs to be perfect. But then there's moments when we're in the bullpen, where we're going over case notes and toxicology reports and autopsies and she's staring at the pictures, and she shows this deep sadness in her eyes. We've made eye contact at few times, where I've caught her in the act, and in a split second, the sadness is gone and back is the cold and calculated look of one Doctor Maura Isles. Its like she doesn't want anyone to know she has feelings…_

Maura lifted a dainty wrist and checked the time in what was probably a thousand dollar watch, causing Jane to roll her eyes. A moment later, she walked across the room, and Jane shifted her eyes back to the paper so as not to be caught staring. The doctor landed at a workstation with a computer and started typing away. Jane's eyes moved back to the woman.

 _We have nothing in common. She mentioned something once about living in Beacon Hill. Beacon. Freaking. Hill. The cheapest house up there is three times my salary. I know. I checked. I live in the back bay. I own a condo, built for two. She wears Prada and Gucci and whatever else. I wear the styles of Target and GAP. She drives a Prius and I drive a police issue cruiser. I don't know what ma sees in her, or in whatever future ma has planned, but I don't. I can't._

 _But, maybe that's a good thing. Opposites are good for you. They challenge you. Maybe ma is on to something here._

* * *

"Invite her!"

"No!

"Invite her, Janie!"

"No, ma, seriously."

" _Seriously_ , invite her."

"God, ma, no, I'm not inviting her."

"Why not?"

"Because, ma, its a tradition with the team. We close a case, we go to the Robber, as a _team_."

Angela looked at her daughter, her hands on her hips, trying to guilt her daughter into listening to her, "And is doctah Isles a part of your _team_? Didn't you just tell me how valuable she was to catching this last murderer?" The two stood in Angela Rizzoli's kitchen. Jane had come over, after much nagging on her mother's part, to take some leftovers off her hands.

Jane blushed slightly, caught in her own words. "Ma." she groaned, "She's not like us. She'd never want to go to a grungy cop bar for beer."

"And how do you know that?!" Angela persisted, now stirring a large mixing bowl of some sort of cheesy, marinara concoction for dinner, "how do you know she doesn't like to hang out with cops? She works with them everyday."

"Ma."

"Janie." she said with finality, "You invite that poor girl. She said so herself a few days ago, she's new to town and she doesn't have many acquaintances here."

Jane stopped and looked at her mother with slight accusation, "And how did you hear that?"

The pushy matriarch tilted her chin slightly in the air, "I may have stopped by the station a few days ago and I may have spotted her in the cafe getting coffee."

" _Ma_."

"Janie, what could it hurt? Having a female friend. It'll be good for you. Maybe she could rub off on you. She dresses so nice, and pretty."

"You don't like the way I dress?"

"I didn't say that. I said that she dresses so nice."

"I like the way I am, ma." the lanky detective sighed.

Angela set the bowl down and started to work on a ball of dough, "It still wouldn't hurt to have a girl friend, Janie."

* * *

Jane walked into the precinct the next morning, head spinning with thoughts. _Maybe ma was right. Maybe I need more friends. All I do is hang out with work people. But wait,_ she's _work people. But it's different. She's morgue people._

Without realizing it, Jane's subconscious made her push the down button on the elevator rather than the up. And as she rode down, her heart started racing. _What do I say? Why am I so nervous? It's just beer with the guys. It's not like it's a date. We're just going out with the guys like every Friday night._ The doors opened and Jane forced herself to step off the elevator.

Through a large window, Jane could see into the lab and could see the doctor standing over a microscope. She was in a dress and heels with a lab coat to cover; the sleeves pushed up slightly. Her hair was pulled back in a loose pony-tail as she alternated from looking in the microscope to writing notes in a file. _You can do this Jane. You can make friends._ She hyped herself up as she approached the lab doors.

 _Just open the door. Open the fucking lab door_. She reached an arm out and pushed it open, stepping into the lab.

After finishing a sentence in the file, Doctor Isles looked up, a small smile crossing her lips in greeting, "Good morning, Detective Rizzoli. To what do I owe the visit?"

Jane's eyes bugged out and she lost all brain function. _Shit, I can't do this._

The blonde seemed confused at the silence from the normally loud and intrusive detective, "If you're here for the Murdick case file, Senior Criminalist Chang was about to bring it up to you."

Jane was still silent, _Just do it you chicken._

"Detective?"

"Beer." Jane finally said

Two perfectly sculpted eyebrows rose in confusion, "Beer?"

The brunette shook herself from her daze, "Dirty Robber. It's a cop bar. Whenever we close a case, the guys and I go down and get a drink to celebrate."

The doctor nodded, "I'm sure you're in for quite a few drinks after this case." she looked back down to her notes

"I was wondering if you wanted to come?" Jane's words slowly trailed off as the sentence came out of her mouth.

The doctor's head shot back up at the invitation.

Interpreting that as some sort of offense, Jane backtracked, "You don't have to…it was just an idea. I thought that since we go for drinks as a team, since you're a part of the _team_ , maybe you'd want to come. But it was a stupid idea. You don't want to hang out in a dingy, grubby cop bar."

"I'd love to." the blonde interrupted

Jane couldn't help the smile forming, "Really?"

The other woman smiled, "Yes. This case was particularly stressful and I would enjoy a chance to unwind with some drinks."

"Good. Uh. I'll email you the address? Or would you like to follow me there after work?"

"I could follow you."

"Perfect. Around seven?"

"I will be ready."

"Awesome, I'll uh, see you later then."

"Thank you for the invitation, Detective."

Jane looked into the eyes of the other woman a moment, and then smiled brighter, "Call me Jane."

The doctor smiled, "I will if you call me Maura."

Jane turned towards the door with a nod, "I'll see you later, _Maura_."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N What? Posting two things in one day? What? Don't get used to it ;) On to the next installment. Read and review :)_

* * *

Jane and her honey blonde companion walked into the bar just a little after seven that evening. Right in the middle of the row of booths, sat some detectives from the homicide unit. Vince Korsak, and Barry Frost. They sat across from each other. But at seeing the doctor - after picking his jaw up from the floor at the sight of his coworker with the ME after hours - Barry jumped up from his side and slid in next to the older detective, giving the two women their own side to the booth. When they reached the booth, Jane lifted her hand to gesture for Maura to slide in first.

"Good evening detectives," Maura said with a shy smile, "I hope my presence isn't interrupting your evening."

Both men chuckled nervously, both giving out quiet negations.

Jane shook her head at her friends, "I figured, that since Maura is an essential part to our team, we should invite her to celebrate with us when we finish a case."

Maura blushed, but both men seemed to agree with polite smiles.

Frost stood up again, "How about Korsak and I get the drinks?"

Vince nodded and began to slide out.

Frost continued, "Beer for Jane, and you, Doctor Isles?"

Maura looked to Jane a moment in slight panic, "Would it be a bad idea to order a wine from this establishment? I've never been here before, so I'm unfamiliar with their wine selections."

Jane laughed, "I'm not a wine connoisseur like I imagine you to be, but I bet they're not half bad."

Maura thought her answer over a moment, and nodded, looking back to the youngest detective of the bunch, "A red wine for me."

Barry nodded and the two men made their way to the bar.

Maura leaned into Jane a moment to whisper, "They're nervous around me."

The brunette laughed, "They've never hung out with you outside of work, they don't know how to talk to you when its not about dead bodies."

" _You've_ never hung out with me outside of work either."

Jane shrugged, "I'm a woman. We can connect better than men can."

Maura chuckled.

"What?"

"Every female police officer or detective I've talked to that has come into contact with you, absolutely hates you."

Jane's jaw dropped at the admission.

"They're intimidated by you, and say you're hard to work with."

The Detective's mouth shut, opened again then shut once more. She looked down at her hands then grabbed her partner's beer across from her, downing the last few sips, "Maybe I _do_ need female friends." she sighed

"Who told you that?" The doctor was intrigued

"My mother. She says I need female friends to girly me up; tell me what to wear and all that shit."

The blonde took a moment and gave Jane the up down look, assessing her outfit.

Jane noticed it and groaned, "Not _you_ too!" She meant it to be a whine, but it came out with a chuckle

Maura smiled and the two shared a look. One of understanding, questioning, and something else. Neither were sure of what exactly that it was.

Maura sighed, "I have no idea what to even talk about, Detective."

"Ok, first off, no "detective" around here. It's Jane. Even at the office, call me Jane. I'd like to think we're friends, right? And we kinda already had this conversation earlier."

Maura's answering smile was captivating and lit up the entire room, "Then please, call me Maura."

Jane nodded with finality, "I was planning on it. Now. These guys usually just talk either about work or sports or beer."

Maura looked hesitant again, "I don't know much about sports or even beer. Which sports do they prefer?"

"Frost prefers baseball and basketball. His mom played softball, and he won't talk about it, but he almost made it to the majors before he blew out his arm. Korsak, also baseball and basketball, but also surprisingly, gymnastics. He won't ever say it, but when the olympics come around, he DVR's all the events." Jane laughed, "He's fascinated at how they can "flip around like they're not affected by gravity"." Jane chuckled with her fingers in the air quotes motion

Maura nodded, in thought, "I do find it fascinating that they use simple physics to perform some of the most intricate and difficult moves."

Jane smiled, "Yeah. Well, anyways. Just get them started about it, and they'll dominate the entire conversation. Then you won't have to say a thing, except nod your head occasionally."

Maura nodded again. Looking at her hands in her lap, then to the detective, she asked, "And which sports do _you_ like, Jane?"

Jane smiled, "Almost anything, really. I played pretty much every sport growing up. Softball, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, ice hockey, soccer. I love baseball though. Give me a Sox game and a couple of beers and I'm content."

"Is that your idea of a good time? Baseball and beer?" Maura chuckled

With a shrug, Jane half nodded, "Yeah. I'm pretty simple in my likes. Hell, I'm from Boston. Like every other blue-collar Boston native, we like three things: beer, baseball, and good Italian cooking. What do you like to do? What's the definition of a good time for Maura Isles?"

Maura shrugged with a slight blush. "Oh, it's stupid."

"Nothing is stupid. Especially if you love doing it."

The blonde doctor shrugged again, "I like to learn, I guess. I could spend an entire day at home, just reading, and be content. I like to read articles, and books and journals. I could spend hours, _days_ in a library and never get bored."

Jane laughed, "I could spend five seconds in a library and fall asleep out of boredom."

The comment made the doctor quiet and she pursed her lips slightly, so the brunette backtracked, "But that doesn't mean its stupid. If you love doing it, if you enjoy it, it's not stupid. Its who you are and you can't change who you are."

Maura's eyes lit up a little, being validated by her very intimidating coworker. In the doctor's past, people as strong willed and intimidating as Jane, tended to bully Maura, and be mean to her and make fun of her for being nerdy. This was new. Being validated by someone like Jane was refreshing and she felt something deep in her stomach suddenly. Something she had never felt before.

Hope.

Hope for a possible friendship.

"I could say the same thing to you."

Jane tilted her head in question.

"In regard to what your mother thinks about needing more female friends and to dress more like a girl. You are who you are. You're confident in who you are. I can see it in your actions, and how you hold yourself. And while I might be averse to some of your clothing choices, you are very beautiful. And no amount of 'girly' clothing is going to make a difference."

Jane blushed a bit, but nodded, "Thank you."

There was a quiet lull for a moment.

"I also love going to museums and art galleries. My mother is an artist and an art professor. She gave me a love for art. That's another thing I that I like to do, look at and study art."

Before Jane could comment, the boys suddenly reappeared with a tray of drinks. Three beers, all different, and a lone glass of red wine. Jane handed Maura the wine and took her own beer.

Frost lifted his glass with a smile, "To closed cases."

Korsak lifted his beer, "To one more bad guy off the streets."

Jane lifted her drink, "To swift justice brought about by key evidence."

Maura blushed and raised her glass. With clinks all around, they took long swigs of their beer. The three cops turned to the doctor, who took a hesitant sip of her wine. Maura took a moment to taste it, and blushed when she saw them all looking at her.

"How is it?" Jane asked with a chuckle

Maura swallowed and shyly smiled, "A bit chalky, but not too terrible."

Jane hurrahed, causing the ME to jump. She lifted her glass, "To not too terrible wine!"

The boys lifted their glasses in the toast, causing Maura to laugh.

"So." Maura ventured after a moment, looking at Vince, "I hear you are a fan of gymnastics."

Two things happened simultaneously: Barry and Jane started laughing loudly, and Vince just shook his head, rolling his eyes.

* * *

 _As I've been writing the next few chapters, I realize that I never said if I'd be going along with canon or not. Some things might stray a bit from canon to fit my needs, but pretty much all the major events from the show will happen in the right timeline._


	4. Chapter 4

A/N *insert apology for being gone so long without an update*

read and review my friends :)

* * *

 _It had started off a little awkward and rocky, but Maura's first evening celebrating with 'the boys' and Jane at the Robber had turned into a very fun night for the two women. Jane was able to see the usually uptight doctor unwind a little. And Maura finally got to see past Jane's intimidating 'detective' facade. Over the next few weeks, Maura started to notice that the boys would say hi to her more often and ask her how her day was going rather than just a quick nod her way. Jane seemed to include her in jokes and story telling whenever Maura happened to make her way to the bullpen; which was becoming a common occurrence._

 _Maura was an interesting woman with an extensive educational background and a lifetime of experiences traveling all around the world. Unlike most people who flaunted their wealth and popularity and worldliness, the blonde medical examiner did the opposite. Rather than using her awesome life to rub it in their faces, she used her experience to aid in their investigations and in giving insight and perspective to something case related. It was refreshing and there was always something new to learn from the woman, even though most times, she would ramble on and on and on and on…_

For some unknown reason, the night previous, she'd invited the lovely doctor, her friend, over for dinner and an evening in. It was really her mother's idea, but she'd never admit to that. After Maura's first foray into cop friendships at the Robber, Jane learned a bit about the doctor, and was quite interested in learning more.

It just so happened that she had the day off. The brunette woke, trudged to the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee. When her eyes finally opened, her heart sunk.

The apartment was a pigsty. Laundry was everywhere, clean and dirty. The sink was full of dishes. Blankets were strewn all about the living room. And there was currently no food in her pantry. Taking a deep swig off the magic brown caffeine infused liquid, Jane steeled her resolve and set to work. Three hours later, the apartment was sparkling clean. The woman showered, dressed and made her way to the market for food.

Having not eaten yet, besides the coffee, Jane may or may not have overdone it on grocery shopping. Seeing the amount of food in her trunk by the time she got home, she didn't know how she'd eat it all. But, she made it home, unloaded the car and started on supper. First was a loaf of homemade Italian Bread. While that rose, next came the tiramisu. She used more kitchen utensils in that afternoon, than she had the entire time she'd lived in that apartment. When the tiramisu was cooling in the fridge and the bread was in the oven, she started on a lasagna. While she had done everything from scratch for the first two items, Jane was quickly running out of time. Instead of making lasagna the Nonna Rizzoli way with homemade noodles and sauce, Jane opted for oven-ready noodles and Prego.

There was a bottle of a very expensive wine and a six pack of her favorite beers as backup in the fridge. Two place settings were set on her peninsula. She told the doctor that morning to wear something casual and comfy. Though, knowing the woman and her clothing habits, she had no idea what to expect.

Like in her police work, Jane lost herself in cooking. Every ounce of her attention and passion went into what she was working on, and when the doorbell rang, it startled her, causing her to spin. The clock read precisely 5:00pm.

"On time." she chuckled to herself, walking towards the door. Turning the knob, the brunette swung the door open, looking upon the Doctor in her doorway.

Hazel eyes shimmered with mirth, "Is this casual enough?"

Jane's eyes landed on trim and muscular legs, " _You_ own skinny jeans?"

Maura chuckled, "Well… as of this afternoon, I do."

With a laugh, Jane opened the door wider, letting the other woman in, "Come on in."

"Seeing as you are also wearing jeans, I can see I accurately theorized what you meant by _casual_."

"You are very right, doctor."

Maura watched the tall woman walk into the kitchen, "Dinner smells amazing." she said.

"Well thank you." Jane threw back as she opened the oven door a moment, sticking a thermometer into the dish.

Maura took a moment and watched the woman. She wore a pair of loose, yet fitting jeans. They looked to be very worn in, and very comfortable; much unlike the pair Maura was wearing. She wore a navy blue sweater that looked to be a size too big. Jane had the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. The texture of the fabric was odd looking, kind of like a honeycomb; small, tight dimples in the fabric. Her feet were socked in thick grey socks with the word _Carhartt_ printed across the toes. Her hair was pulled back in a half pony to keep the hair from her eyes. She looked the epitome of comfort and ease.

Shutting the oven door again to let it cook a moment more, Jane turned to the island and picked up a pan of bread that had been buttered and seasoned. "I hope you like Italian." Popping the bread into the oven, Jane finally turned back to her friend, seeing the wine bag in her hand, "What did you bring?"

"Some wine." Maura smiled, pulling the bottle out and handing it to the woman, "We must have thought alike, because this will pair fantastically with your lasagna."

Jane smiled and took the bottle, "Perfect." She set it down and went to retrieve the corkscrew.

"Can I do anything to help?" Maura asked, taking off her jacket and laying it across the back of the couch

"Sit there and look pretty."

Maura laughed and sat at the peninsula, behind a place setting, "I think I can do that."

* * *

"So." Jane started, taking a sip of the wine Maura had brought, "damn." she remarked, "this is really good."

Maura rolled her eyes playfully. They'd just started to dig into their food, when Jane started speaking.

"So." Jane started again, "I invited you over, cause I thought we could get to know each other a little better."

Maura nodded, wiping her lips with a napkin and placed her hands in her lap, "Where would you like to start?"

"Well, like where we grew up. For example, I was born here, raised here, grew up here, etc. What about you?"

Maura thought, "Well, I was born here in Boston, though I don't know where or to whom." at Jane's look of confusion, she went on, "I was adopted as a very young baby. To Constance and Arthur Isles. I grew up all over Europe. I went to school in France and London. Then I came back to go to BCU for college and medical school."

"What do your parent's do?"

"Mother is an artist, and art history professor whenever a school can hold her down long enough to teach."

Jane chuckled quietly, sipping her wine. "A free spirit?" she asked, spearing a piece of tomato that fell from her last bite.

The blonde nodded, "Yes, very. She's quite the francophone, and loves to travel."

"And your dad?"

"My father…" she paused a moment, "He does a lot of things, really. He is a scientist, a linguist, an historian. He travels, teaches, learns all sorts of languages. He gave me my love to learn other languages."

"Any siblings?"

"No. I am an only child." Maura said, "Mother and Father weren't really the parent types."

Jane frowned a bit, but Maura went on before she could say anything.

"I've met your mother and she seems to be the stay at home type. What about your dad?"

"He's a plumber. Owns a business: Rizzoli and Sons. His dad owned it, his dad before that owned it, and etc. He was really hoping for a son to take over, but that doesn't look like it'll happen."

"Because your brother is a cop?"

Jane nodded, "And because my youngest brother is a screw up and is in jail at the moment."

Maura pursed her lips a bit, "oh, well I could see how he'd be discouraged for the future of his company."

Jane laughed, "That's one way of putting it."

An awkward lull came to the conversation, and Jane suddenly remembered something from a few weeks past; another conversation. Jane looked up from her food and watched the doctor a moment. Maura picked up her knife and fork, cutting a small bite, dropped the knife quietly and popped the small bite into her mouth. It didn't seem the time to ask about…maybe later.

Maura looked up and saw the introspective look on her dinner companion.

"What's wrong?"

Jane snapped out of her reverie, "Nothing. Sorry. So, where did you live before Boston?"

Maura smiled, "New York. I worked as an assistant medical examiner for NYPD. Before that I travelled with Medicins sans Frontieres. Or, um, Doctors Without Borders, down in Africa."

Jane was quite surprised that such a pristine looking and living woman would have lived in third world conditions, "Wow. That's so cool! How did you get connected with that?"

Blonde curls shook as nodded slowly, "An old boyfriend, actually. He wanted to get away from his family and go on his own and be a designer in Europe. I wanted to go off and do something good, and he urged me to do Doctor's Without Borders. He did his thing, so I did mine."

Jane smiled, "That's so cool." she repeated.

They talked for quite some time, taking a moment here and there to take bites of the food. It was easy and comfortable; like they'd known each other for years. Noticing that both their plates had been empty for awhile, Jane asked if the woman wanted seconds. Maura politely declined, though asked for a doggy bag to take some home with her. Jane's chest swelled with pride as she prepared a tupperware, and placed it in the refrigerator for later. Seeing the tiramisu, she offered dessert, "You feeling up to dessert yet?"

Maura shook her head, "Maybe another glass of wine first?"

Jane complied, clearing their dishes to the sink, and refilled each glass. "To the couch?" she asked

"To the couch." Maura agreed. Once settled, Maura started again, "Have you ever travelled outside of Boston?" Maura asked

Jane nodded, "We went to Italy a few times when I was a kid, and pop's business was good. We have scads of family there, so… And there was once in high school. I took French all through high school. And junior year, the French club planned a trip to Paris. We went to the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the Catacombs, all that fun stuff."

" _You_ were in the French Club?" Maura laughed

Jane sighed, rolling her eyes, "I got one too many concussions that year in field hockey, and had to sit out for the season. And basketball. I was so mad. So, Ma insisted I join another club so it would look good for college. It was actually kinda fun, and I got a ton of sponsors, so the trip was free."

"Where did you end up going to college?"

Something passed across Jane's eyes. A secret of some sort. Maura could sense it, "Oh, just the junior college across town. I have my associates in Criminal Justice. I got into the academy after that, so I didn't bother going any farther."

"Have you ever thought of going back?"

Jane shrugged, "Not really. I mean, I think about it sometimes, and think about the stuff I probably missed. But really, I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I've got my dream job, I've got a nice house, no student loans or major debt. I've made some amazing friends in the academy, and I'm proud of where I am today."

Maura shared the other woman's smile.

Jane finally looked at her watch close to an hour later. It was almost eight; they'd been at it for almost three hours, "I've got some wicked tiramisu in the fridge, you game?"

Maura's eyes widened, "I love tiramisu!"

"Perfect!" Jane jumped from the couch. Dishing out two plates, Jane returned with two forks, "Here ya go."

Maura waited for her friend to sit, and took a small test bite. Her eyes rolled a little and closed.

"Good?" Jane laughed

"This is amazing." Maura mooned. Her eyes opened and she held the plate close, inspecting it. "I haven't had tiramisu like this since I was in Italy. This is quite authentic." she commented, taking another, larger, bite.

Jane chuckled again and dug into her own serving. "Authentic Italian is all I know how to do, so I'm glad its good."

Maura looked somewhat shocked, " _You_ made this?"

Jane shrugged, taking another bite "Yeah. My dad's ma, my nonna, grew up in Italy. I was the oldest granddaughter so I had to learn everything." She savored the bite, "Man. I am good. I haven't made this in awhile."

Maura smiled, still surprised by her friend's abilities, "Can I have some of this to take home too?"

xxx

The entire night had turned out quite well. They'd talked for almost five hours. It was well after ten before Maura finally sighed, saying it was getting late.

Jane jumped up and over to the fridge to grab Maura's leftovers, "Hey, thanks for coming over. I had a great time." Making a face, she chuckled, "Wow, that sounds like a line." Maura chuckled as well, "But really, this was great. I had fun."

Maura pulled on her coat, fixed her hair and smiled at her friend, "Me too. Dinner was quite delicious, and so was dessert."

Jane blushed a bit.

"And now that I know you've got secret Italian cooking super powers, I might have to invite myself over again."

"I might have to let you." Jane opened the front door and watched Maura walk out.

"I'll see you Monday?" Jane asked

Maura turned with a smile, "Yes. Goodnight Jane."

"Goodnight Maura."


	5. Chapter 5

_Ha. Sorry I deleted it the first time it posted. I previewed it and forgot a section, oops. Anyhoooo, your reviews have been so nice, thank you to my wonderful readers for your encouragement. Feel free to keep reviewing ;)_

* * *

Jane plopped down in the Doctor's chair across from the Doctor's desk with a heavy sigh. "I cannot wait to get out of here."

Maura mirrored the sigh, "I completely agree. This has been a terribly long week." she regarded the woman across from her a moment, "Home then? You've been talking about that one sports team all week. Isn't there a game on tonight?"

Jane smirked, "Yeah, the Sox play later tonight, but I don't know if I'm up to watching it. I have it set to record cause I didn't know when I'd get home."

The blonde nodded, "I think I've got a few articles left to read. It's been a while since I've had a moment to myself."

"The guys are heading to the bar, but I'm not really feeling up to going out to be around people.

Neither moved, or made eye contact.

 _I wish she would invite me over, the house has been so lonely lately. Though she just said she did not want to be around people._

 _This case has been shit and I don't wanna be alone._

Each woman sat quietly in introspection for a long moment.

"Well," Jane started, standing, "I guess I'm off home."

"I will be as well shortly, I have a few things to finish."

They made long eye contact, each hoping the other would suggest something, though neither did.

* * *

Jane stared at the blank TV screen for a long time, contemplating what she was going to do for the evening.

 _I could go to the Robber. The guys are probably still there._

 _No, I already told them I was gonna go home._

 _I_ could _just go to bed, sleep the night away._

 _I did that last week, damn I'm boring._

 _I'm kinda hungry…shit there's no food in the fridge. I never made it to the shop._

 _I wonder what Maura's doin. She's probably doing something nerdy like reading or writing some paper._

 _I wonder what her house is like…_

They two had known each other for three years at this point. But they had only been friends for a year and a half. Even so, with work being their focal points in life, they had little time to put effort into getting to know each other outside of it.

 _I bet its huge, with like, six bedrooms and ten bathrooms or something._

She sighed, her stomach rumbling loudly now since it was the only noise in the apartment.

 _I need a dog…or a boyfriend…it's too quiet here…_

 _I wonder if she's eaten dinner yet…_

Before she knew it, Jane had her jacket on, keys in her hand, and was out the door without a look back.

xxx

Within a half hour, Jane was bounding up the walkway to Maura's Beacon Hill home. At least she hoped it was Maura's house. She'd never been here before, and she only had the address. Shifting the bags of take out to one hand, Jane lifted the now empty one, ready to knock, when the door suddenly opened.

Maura was about to step out onto the porch, when she almost ran into the brunette.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, grabbing at her heart, "Jane, what are you doing here?"

"Shit, did I catch you at a bad time? Were you going somewhere?"

Maura smiled, "To your apartment, actually." Her eyes slowly shifted down to the bags in Jane's hands, nodding, "I was going to pick up Chinese and see if you wanted company, I guess we had the same idea."

They shared a smile as Maura opened the door wider and stepped out of the way.

xxx

The two had finished eating, and they were now lounging on the couch, surrounded by empty take out containers. Maura regarded her friend a moment. Jane's head was leaning back against the couch, eyes closed, and wine glass held close to her chest. It looked as though she was asleep, but Maura knew otherwise. Her breathing pattern was too staggered for sleep.

Everything was easy with Jane. Conversation, interactions, everything. Becoming friends with the detective was so much easier than it had ever been when she was growing up. Yes, Jane _would_ tease her occasionally, but it was always in good fun and more often than not, followed up by a compliment. Jane had a big heart, and she was protective.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

Thin lips curled into a smile, eyes remaining closed, "When I was dressed as a hooker?"

Maura blushed, "No, the second time I guess."

Jane's eyes opened, "It was in your office, wasn't it?"

The blonde blushed, "I had heard story after story about this _amazing_ young detective from Vice, who had a very high closing record. She was coming in after a nine-month long undercover assignment that had concluded with seventeen arrests and the shutting down of a small prostitution ring. I felt so intimidated and I hadn't even met you yet, or even seen what you looked like."

A soft smile graced Jane's lips, her eyes expectant for the rest of the story she'd never heard before.

"Detective Korsak had told me the Friday before that you'd be coming in Monday for your first day, and I was so nervous all weekend. I had only worked with male detectives, and I was afraid that you wouldn't like me…" she trailed off, "for some reason. That you, the only other female in the department, would feel threatened by my presence."

Jane patted her friend's knee reassuringly.

"And in you walked, in a very stylish grey pant suit, a crisp white oxford, and the most hideous black boots."

Jane scoffed, "Hey! I still have those boots!"

"Your curls were wild, and you had your badge hanging from a chain around your neck."

 _There came a knock at the door, causing the doctor to look up from her work. A tall, fearsome woman was standing in the doorway. Badge hanging from her neck, aviators in the sleeve of the breast pocket. Something about her eyes looked familiar…_

 _"Doctor Isles?" came a smoky voice_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli, I'm new to the Homicide team."_

 _Maura stood, a little taken aback, still trying to figure out where she recognized this woman from, "Yes, right, I'm Doctor Maura Isles." she stepped around the desk and held out her hand._

 _Jane shook it with a chuckle, "You're not gonna wear a glove this time?"_

 _Maura looked the woman up and down again, and realization flooded her, causing her cheeks to redden quite fast._

 _"Oh my!" she groaned, covering her eyes and hoping to hide her embarrassment, "You're a detective…"_

 _Jane chuckled, "Yeah."_

 _"You were undercover. Oh I feel like an idiot."_

"I'm still sorry. I felt so foolish." Maura chuckled

Jane smirked, "And what did I tell you after the first apology?"

"That it wasn't necessary, that you were drinking plenty of Vitamin D, and your "night work" had come to an end."

They both laughed, "And now we're friends." Jane said with a triumphant nod

Maura sipped at her wine, feeling happy, "And now we're friends."

Jane's eyes were sleepy, "When did you know we were friends?"

The blonde tried to contain a big smile, "A few weeks after we met, I met your mother, remember? And she brought us sack lunches one evening, then you invited me out to the Robber a few days later. Another few days later, we were out on some scene, and one of the EMT's was saying something rather crude about me as we walked by, and you stepped right up to him and said you'd rip off a certain part of his anatomy and shove it somewhere, I didn't actually hear where you were shoving it, but I knew it wasn't a nice place."

Jane laughed loud, "Oh, that sounds like me."

"And somehow I knew you'd be sticking around." They shared a smile, "When did _you_ know we were friends?"

"Actually, it was more of a feeling that we _would_ be friends."

Blonde curls shook slightly as Maura tilted her head in confusion.

"You know me, I don't connect well with other women. I'm a guy when it comes to most things, and I connect with guys better. I'm not the greatest at making friends. Ma liked you instantly, and she really wanted me to be friends with you, cause she thought it would be good for me." she paused, "As much as it pains me to say my mother was right, she was right. You've been very good for me."

The look in Jane's eyes was so sincere, it made Maura's heart clench in happiness.

"You've been a very good friend to me this past year or so, even before, during Hoyt…you were so kind and wonderful to me. You spoke words of wisdom that I carry with me today, and I am truly grateful for your friendship."

Maura wiped a few tears away, and Jane cleared her throat.

"Okay. I think I've had too much wine." Jane sighed with a chuckle, trying to ease the emotional tension she created.

Maura shook her head with a smile, "Yes, you have. Too much to drive home."

The brunette shrugged, "I'll call a cab."

"No." Maura stood, grabbing both their wine glasses and walked over to the counter, "At this time of night the rate will be horrendous, and its a twenty-minute drive to your apartment. Just stay here. I'd offer the guest room, but the pipes in the guest bath burst last week, and the contractors are in the middle of remodeling the room."

Jane seemed to acquiesce quickly, too tired to argue, "Ok. Just get me a pillow and a blanket." She started to move cushions on the couch to accommodate her body.

"The couch will be terrible for your back. I have a king size bed…you'll barely know I'm there." Maura headed for the stairs, Jane trailing close behind.

Jane thought to herself as they ascended the stairs _We've not reached that boundary yet…sleeping in the same bed._

Maura had similar thoughts, _Friends do this, right? Girl friends sleep in the same bed for sleepovers. Or is that just teenagers?_

Maura confidently moved into the master bedroom, turning on the overhead light to reveal a king size bed in the middle of the room, a night stand on each side, a large vanity and mirror against a wall, a walk in closet and an ensuite bathroom.

"Holy smokes…" Jane gasped, "This room is huge!"

Maura blushed, "Yes. It was actually two rooms, but I figured I wouldn't need two guest rooms in the main house since there's a guest house."

"There's a _guest house_?" Jane cut her off

"Yes, in the back yard. You can't see it unless you open the side door. I bought the house so when my parents would visit, they'd have space to themselves."

Jane looked around the room in awe. The bed looked like a dream compared to her ten-year-old double bed back in her apartment with K-Mart sheets.

Maura was saying something, but Jane didn't hear her. Long tan fingers were reaching out, touching the softest sheets she'd ever felt.

"Jane!" Maura laughed

"What?" she looked up

"Would you like something to wear?"

She nodded, "Yeah, sure."

"Second drawer from the left in the closet, everything is clean, pick whatever you want." Maura pointed to the walk-in as she went into the bathroom to start her evening routine.

Jane walked into the spacious closet, a closet bigger than her own bedroom and found the drawer. It was full of the finest silk material she'd ever felt. She ran the silk between her fingers, getting lost in the sensation. Of course Maura would wear silk to bed. She only wears the finer things.

"Find something you like?" came Maura's voice from right behind her, making the usually unflappable detective jump.

Jane turned and found a fresh faced Maura, wearing a pair of silk pajamas. Jane just nodded dumbly and quickly walked to the bathroom. Maura sat on her side of the bed and started applying lotion to her body. She called after the other woman, "There's a spare toothbrush in the medicine cabinet."

Maura listened and heard the medicine cabinet opening and shutting, and then a muffled, "Found it!" After a moment, Jane emerged from the bathroom. Maura looked up and tried valiantly to contain a giggle. Jane stood in front of her, looking like a child going shopping with an overly eager mother. The long sleeves were more like quarter length and the pant legs were halfway up her calf.

"I didn't account for the height difference." Maura laughed

Jane gave a tight smile, "Obviously."

Maura had a look of realization suddenly, "Wait here!" She jumped from the bed and darted out of the bedroom, coming back a short moment later with another pair of silk pajamas in her hands, "These are my father's from his last trip. I bought them for him, and he forgot to pack them. He's more your height."

Taking them into the bathroom, Jane changed and came back out, looking much better. The pants went all the way to her ankles, and the sleeves went down to her wrists. She moved around a bit to give Maura a view, "How do I look?"

The blonde chuckled as she settled into the bed, her back against the headboard, "Dashing."

Jane snorted and made her way to the other side of the bed, "I've never worn anything made out of silk before. I might lose this shirt though in the middle of the night, it already seems a little warm."

They both settled onto their backs, a good foot or two between them.

"Thank you for letting me stay." Jane mumbled, the wine and exhaustion pulling her towards sleep.

"You are quite welcome." Maura smiled in the darkness. Giddy at the realization that this was her first ever sleepover with what she believed was her first ever best-friend.

* * *

Maura woke the next morning before her alarm, and as she was stretching, the past evening's events flooded her memory. She slowly turned her head, her eyes landing on the lanky brunette. The blankets were tangled around the long body. One leg was below the covers while one was atop it, bent; that pant leg having ridden up past her knee. Like she had predicted, Jane had shed the night shirt and was in a tank top. One arm was laid across her stomach, while the other was up above her head, causing the tank top to ride up, exposing her midriff. The long chestnut hair was fanned over the pillow and across half her face and her mouth hung wide open. All in all, the detective was quite the sight first thing in the morning.

Chuckling quietly, Maura sat up slowly as to not jostle the sleeping woman, and made her way into the bathroom.

Jane woke to the smell of food wafting in her nose. She sat up slowly, eyes not open yet, feeling completely refreshed and ready for the day. She followed her nose down the stairs and into the kitchen to find Maura making them a big breakfast. Oatmeal, eggs, fresh fruits, orange juice and wonderful coffee.

"How did you sleep?" Maura asked, sitting next to her friend

Jane shook her head in disbelief, "Better than I have in a long time. That mattress of yours is amazing. I don't think I've ever slept that well."

"Good, I'm glad."

Jane pushed her empty plate away, "What are your plans today?"

Maura shrugged, "Actually, I was thinking that maybe we could get a late lunch somewhere and do some shopping?" Maura gave Jane a sweet, yet hopeful smile

Unable to deny the beauty in front of her, Jane chuckled, "Sure. I think you could convince me into shopping, how bad could it be?"


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay. It's been a while. Sorry._

* * *

The first Sunday Dinner Maura attended originally started out fine…but ended with a fight.

Maura and Jane arrived promptly at 4:30pm, as per Angela's request. Frankie was already inside, watching a football game alongside his father. Angela met them at the door, and walked them through the house towards the kitchen, stopping at the living room on the way.

"Frankie, Frank, Maura's here, say hi."

Both men ignored her and continued screaming at the TV.

"Frank." Angela said a little louder. He didn't listen, until… "FRANK!"

The man's head spun, looking annoyed at the interruption, "What?!"

"Maura is here." Angela said in a quieter voice, "Come say hello."

Frank jumped from his chair, suddenly remembering his manners and walked over to the blonde and his daughter, "Hello Miss Maura, I'm Frank. It's lovely to meet you."

Maura shook his hand with a smile, "And you as well, thank you for having me in your home."

He smiled a little awkwardly and looked at his daughter, "Hey Janie." he said affectionately

"Hey Pops, what's the score?"

"21 to 20" Frankie piped in, "With fifteen seconds left on the clock." Brown eyes turned to Maura, "Hey Doc."

"Hello Frankie."

Jane took a step into the living room towards the couch, "Where's Frost?"

"He's on his way, said he had to run an errand real quick. Come sit, the game is almost over."

"Nope!" Angela exclaimed, grabbing her daughter's arm, "Come help me in the kitchen. You too Maura."

Angela led the two younger women to the kitchen, Maura giggling at Jane's rolling eyes.

By 5:00pm, Detective Frost had shown up as well, letting himself into the house like he lived there. Angela and the ladies had just laid the food on the table and everyone was sitting down.

Before the roast could be sliced, Frank's cell phone started ringing.

"No!" Angela almost cried, "We just sat down to dinner! Turn that phone off."

"Ang, I gotta get this, it's work." Frank said with finality, "Hello?" A moment later, "Yeah, I'll call you in a few minutes for the details…yeah, I'll see ya in a little bit."

"Frank." Angela said, her voice calm

"Ang, I'm sorry, there's an emergency across town."

The older woman followed the patriarch into the hall, right on his heels. "Frank. We just sat down to dinner. At least stay to cut the roast."

"Have Frankie do it!" he sounded exasperated

"But Frank, Maura is here. Stay and get to know her."

"We can become best buddies another time, Ang, I got a job."

"You _always_ have a job. You're never home! You're never home to be with your family."

"Oh, don't start this again."

"Frank! Don't you dare walk out that door. Frank! You are being rude to our guests!"

"You're being rude to them by yelling your head off!" he countered

"Don't walk out that door. Frank. Frank! FRANK!"

The front door opened and they all heard it slam shut. A moment later, there were loud, stomping footsteps up the stairs and another door slamming on the other end of the house.

Maura sat quietly with wide eyes, her head facing the door. A moment later she heard the clattering of silverware and watched Jane, Frankie and Frost all digging into the food with gusto, like nothing had happened.

Frankie cut the roast, dishing out a piece for everyone, and then Jane started dishing other side dishes onto Maura's plate.

The blonde slowly leaned over to Jane and whispered, "Does this happen often?"

Frankie heard her, raised his beer with a smile, "Welcome to the Rizzoli's."

Jane snorted and patted her friend's hand.

* * *

After they'd eaten their fill, Jane made a plate and took it upstairs. Frost offered to help Frankie clean up and Maura ventured into the rest of the house. Coming upon a den, she found a wall covered in pictures. She recognized younger versions of everyone. Angela with long flowing hair, holding a young boy in her arms and a toddler version of Jane at her side. Another of Frank Sr, holding a small Jane on his shoulders, who was waving a foam finger in the air, standing in front of Fenway. There were some pictures of the kids at older ages, in a variety of sports clothing. Maura smiled at a picture of Jane in a hockey jersey, missing a front tooth.

"Don't worry, it wasn't a permanent tooth."

Maura jumped at her friend's sudden appearance.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."

"You look quite old to still have your baby front teeth."

Jane shrugged, "It was actually my last one. That sucker hung on and on. It was pretty loose before the game, and some chick knocked it clean out. Got her a penalty and gave me a free shot. It's how we won the game, so it was a nice celebration of finally losing it, I guess." she snorted

Maura kept surveying the pictures, Jane right beside her, reminiscing.

"We never had much, you know?" came Jane's quiet, and raspy whisper, "Our house always needed repairs, the car was always a piece of junk, but no matter what, pops always got us the best stuff for sports. All the best gear, brand new."

Maura smiled.

Jane sighed, "I hated it, because I knew he'd work himself to the bone to get it. Skates and sticks and pads for hockey, shoes and uniforms for basketball, bats, gloves and cleats for softball and baseball, we always had it. Me and Frankie always told him to buy used, we didn't mind, but he insisted." she paused, looking at a picture of herself standing next to her dad, holding a big trophy for basketball, "He wasn't home much, but he was at every game. Every, single game."

Maura looked up at her friend and saw a soft smile on her lips.

Maura looked back to the pictures and Jane laughed suddenly, pointing at a picture of Frankie in a hockey jersey covered in spatters of blood, hair wild, and holding a huge trophy, "Did you know that Frankie has two fake teeth?"

"What?" Maura gasped with a smile

"Yeah, he did so well in hockey without losing any teeth, all the way till his senior year, and he took an elbow to the cheek, taking out two teeth. Ma was soooooo pissed. They're near the back, so it's not noticeable."

"Did your other brother play sports too?"

Jane nodded, picking up a picture frame of her brother and showing the other woman, "hockey and wrestling more than anything else. They were the only sports where he could get out his anger without getting kicked out for rough housing. He's got a bad temper."

Maura looked at the picture in Jane's hands. There were three kids. Jane, who looked to be twelve or thirteen, Frankie only slightly smaller, and Tommy, no more than a toddler, "Tommy looks so little." Maura smiled.

"Well, he's got a smaller build than both of us, but he's also ten years younger than me, and eight years younger than Frankie."

"Really?"

"He was kinda a surprise. Pops said no more after Frankie was born, and Ma agreed. But surprise, eight years later, here comes Tommy."

They were quiet a moment while Jane looked at the picture lovingly.

"Your mother mentioned something about him being in jail?"

Jane sighed, "he's an alcoholic with a temper. He had one too many DUI's and he ran over Father Mike in a cross walk."

Maura's jaw dropped.

"He's doing better though. I think, actually, going to Prison has helped him a lot. We send letters back and forth all the time, and he sounds like he's doing better. They have him in rehab and everything."

"When does he get out?"

"He's supposed to be out next year. If he keeps up doing well, they might let him out early."

The front door opened suddenly and in walked Frank. Taking off his jacket, he hung it up and caught them standing there out of the corner of his eye. He turned with a forced smile, "Janie, you're still here."

"Yeah, we're leavin in a minute though."

His eyes shifted towards Maura, the look on his face telling them he wanted to say something to Jane without the blonde hearing. Maura took a step back and turned back to the wall of pictures, while Jane took a step towards her father.

"She still mad?"

Maura heard the detective sigh, though it sounded more like a growl, "Pops," came her raspy whisper, "You gotta stop doin this."

"Oh Janie." he protested

"I'm serious. She's mad."

"She'll get over it."

Jane cut him off, "I'm kinda mad too, dad. I bring my friend over for you to meet, and you just up and leave? What's that say to her, dad?"

He shrugged and waved his hands a little, "Janie, it's not like she's your girlfriend or something."

That struck a chord in Jane. Realizations hit her suddenly, causing her to take a step back before continuing admonishing her father.

Before she could respond, two cellphones rang at the same time. Jane pulled her from her hip, and Maura stepped into the hall to find her purse.

Jane clipped the phone back on her belt, "We gotta go. Tell Ma."

"Yeah, alright."

Maura stepped up to the man, "Thank you for having me over. Please tell Mrs. Rizzoli that the food was delicious." She held her hand out and shook Frank's.

In a flash, Rizzoli & Isles, Homicide Dream Team, had left the building.

* * *

Later that evening, after the a gruesome crime scene had been analyzed, a body had been sent to the lab, and everything was put on hold till morning, the two found themselves back at Maura's house. Jane, with a beer in hand, and Maura, a glass of wine in hers, the two lounged on the couch.

"Boy!" Jane exclaimed, "What. A. Day."

Maura nodded, swallowing a rather large sip, "I concur."

Jane leaned her head against the back of the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

Maura had noticed something had been off with her friend since they'd left her parents' house.

"Jane." she started quietly, "You've been in - what looks to be - deep thought, since we left your parents' house."

Jane sighed and shook her head slowly, "Something my pops said." she whispered, her eyes maintaining eye contact with the ceiling.

"Care to share?"

The brunette lifted her head and shook it, "No, let's talk about something else. So." she turned towards the smaller woman and forced on a smile, "Rizzoli family dinner. Thoughts. First Impressions."

The smaller woman looked hesitant to voice her thoughts.

"C'mon Maur. Give it to me."

"I didn't realize Detective Frost was so close to your family." she deflected

The brunette chuckled and shrugged, "Deflection, but I'll indulge you this once. Him and Frankie have really taken a liking to each other. Frost didn't grow up here and didn't see Frankie when he was a goofy teenager, like most of the cops from his year. He only knows Frankie as an adult, thus, treats him like an adult and kinda mentors him. Plus, they're pretty close in age and have a lot of the same interests. When Frost became my partner, Frankie was always coming up to the bull pen and I guess it was just bro-love at first sight."

Maura giggled and Jane's head tilted slowly, smiling.

 _God, she's gorgeous._ Was her first thought. Shaking it away, she pushed on, "But seriously. Thoughts?"

Maura shrugged a little and looked down at her hands, "Was tonight…um…a normal occurrence in your home?"

Jane sighed, "Yeah. Like I said earlier this evening, Pops tends to take on a lot more jobs when money is tight. And even if money isn't tight, he takes on jobs to get out of the house. I think he also uses it as an escape, you know?"

"Do they fight often?"

The brunette nodded, "More especially the last few years. Ma doesn't think we see it. She plays it off, but they're not shy about fighting in front of us."

"You think they'll get divorced?"

"I doubt it. Pop is very Catholic even though he doesn't go to Mass often."

They were quiet a moment and Maura felt at a loss. She didn't have the words to express her love and support for her friend. She didn't know what it was like to have parents that fought.

In hopes of making Jane feel a little better she remembered the contents of her fridge, "I might have stolen a few slices of pie your mother made, before we left."

Jane's eyes brightened at the mention, "Oh my god, yes, please."

The blonde hopped off the couch and headed over to the fridge with a smile.

Jane watched with a smile as her friend pulled a tupperware out and two forks. She sighed wistfully.

 _Dammit pops. Why'd you have to say that?_

* * *

A/N Okay. The ol' tank has been empty for awhile, and its starting to fill with some ideas again. Hopefully I'll be adding some content to some other stories soon. Thanks for sticking with me here. Leave a review or comment. They make my day :)


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N Just a short dribble. I referenced this moment in an earlier chapter, and thought it needed to be written out. This is set before chapter 1. In my head, its right after Jane transfers to Homicide, after the mistaken hooker incident, that she faces Hoyt for the first time._

* * *

We had only worked together on a few cases before it happened; before the Surgeon happened. I barely knew her. Her reputation proceeded her, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind, that she'd do well in Homicide. Our first few cases were closed quickly, but it wasn't long till the serial killer, who'd come to be known as the Surgeon, started to trip us up. She threw herself into the case, nights, weekends, till that evening when she followed a lead on her own.

I didn't hear much of the specifics till I found out she was being hospitalized for serious wounds to her hands. Scalpels. Right through the hands and into the wooden slab she was lying on; pinned to the floor. The thought is absolutely horrifying, and the pictures were even worse. Detective Jane Rizzoli disappeared for nine weeks. She was in the hospital for a few weeks, then was put through serious physical and emotional therapy. When she was finally cleared for desk duty, she was stuck in the bullpen with paperwork and and the occasional errand. Which meant that she visited the morgue and labs often throughout the day, delivering and retrieving case files.

It was one morning, a week after she had been brought back, that I caught her in the lobby. She was standing near the cafe, fingers working desperately on the zipper of her jacket. It was a cold October day, cold enough for a jacket, and cold enough to irritate her still-healing hands. As I waited for the elevator to take me to my morgue, I watched her struggle with her zipper. Her face contorted in frustration and anger, prompting me to finally step forward.

"Detective?" I called

She slowly turned towards me and I saw the sadness and torment in her eyes. She winced slightly, as though I was about to hit her.

"May I talk to you a moment?"

She sighed and gave up on the jacket, throwing her arms to her side, wincing a little again at jostling her sore hands.

Leading us to the elevator, I pushed the button, and she followed quietly. One the doors shut, I pulled the emergency stop button.

Spinning, Jane looked at the control panel "What the hell?" she mumbled

"May I help you with your jacket zipper?"

Jane was quite taken aback at the question, "Excuse me?"

"You seemed a little frustrated when you were trying to zip it up, and I was wondering if I could lend some assistance."

She seemed to be in a tense, almost fight-or-flight like stance. Jane searched my eyes, looking for something. Maybe she was looking for mockery or pity, of which I had none. Just sincerity and I tried my best to show it.

When there was no response except for Jane's arms staying at her side, I reached forward and fixed what turned out to be a stuck zipper; some cloth having wedged itself between the teeth.

The elevator was too quiet as I worked, "I don't know much about you Detective Rizzoli." I spoke quietly, "But from what I've heard, you're a hell of a detective and you've been through a lot. In most cases, that can cause someone to be a bit prideful and feel as though they're unable to ask for help with simple tasks." I slid the now-fixed zipper up to just below her chin, "Especially if you're frustrated while also in a state of constant vulnerability." Green eyes met slightly tearing brown as I straightened her collar as well, "You should know that you don't have to be the big bad Detective Jane Rizzoli all the time. You can be human. You can ask for help. No one is going to mock you; kick you while you're down."

She looked down at her shoes.

"That is because they know you'll kick their ass when you're all better."

That brought forth a snicker, causing my heart to soar.

"Don't let this injury bring you down, Jane. You are coming to that point in recovery where you're starting to get bogged down in the constant therapy and it seems like you're not getting anywhere. Don't let it get to you. Push, fight. Ask for help when you need it. It will make the healing process go faster, both physically and mentally."

Jane seemed to be ignoring me, since her eyes were still downcast, but I knew she was listening.

"You can and _will_ get better. I promise you." I hesitated a moment, "Would you like to know how I know that?"

Brown eyes met green for just a moment before I went on.

"Because you're Jane _fucking_ Rizzoli. You don't go down without a fight."

Jane looked down at her bruised hands, a smirk riding her lips, but still unsure of what to say.

"I wish I had something to say that would make you feel better, honestly. I don't even know why, we barely know each other. But, if there is anything I can do, please don't hesitate to ask." We stood in silence a moment. I let her gather herself mentally, and when Jane finally looked up, the tears gone, I pushed the emergency button again. The elevator resumed its trip back down to the morgue.

When the doors opened, I stepped off and turned back to Jane with a small smile, "Afternoon Detective."

Before the doors shut, Jane stuck her hand out and stopped them, "Hey, uh…thanks for…" Jane started, but couldn't voice the words. Instead she gestured slightly towards the elevator she was still standing in. _Pulling me aside and not making me look weak in front of everyone, but also making me feel better._ It was a lot to say in just a look, but I knew what she meant.

I only nodded with a smile, catching a faint smile on thin lips before the doors shut again.


End file.
